Burglar-alarm.



Patented Oct. I5, |901 C. CHASE.

BURGLAR ALARM.

(Application Bled May 2'4, 1900. Renewed May 13, 1901.)

unam-sheet l.

(No Model.)

MN NE A@ 3 4 irl/f Patented Oct. l5, |901.

C. CHASE.

BURGLAR ALARM.

(Application. fld May 24, 1900. Renewed May 13, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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No. 684,409. Patented oct. l5, 190|.

c. CHASE.

BURGLAR ALARM.v

(Application led May 24, 1900. Renewed .May 13, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Shest 3.

- (No Model.)

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No. 684,409. Patented oet. l5, 190|. c. CHASE.

BUBGLAR ALARM. (Application filed Hay 24, 1900. Renewed. May 13, 1901.)

4 Sheets- Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

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` being taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 2.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES CHASE, OF CHARTER OAK, IOWA.

BU RG LAR-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,409, dated October 15, 1901. Application led May 24,1900. Renewed May 13, 1901. Serial No. 60.103. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES CHASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charter Oak, in the county of Crawford and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Burglar-Alarm for Banks or Post-Offices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive construction for the purpose of protecting public and private safes from robbery.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this class capable of causing an alarm by means of an alarm-bell and revolvers, which maybe loaded with blanlor ball cartridges, as desired, thereby frightening or disabling any persons attempting to gain access to the safe in such a manner as to prevent them from attaining their object.

A further object is to provide an apparatus Vof this class capable of interposing barriers in front of the safe in such a manner as to prevent access to the safe except by removing said barriers.v

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this class which may be thrown in or out of operation, thus permitting the iioor to be rendered solid and safe at any time for the purpose of transacting business or otherwise and also permitting it to be thrown in a position for instant operation.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of a tilting floor, a hinged iioor, and a machine carrying an alarm-bell and revol vers 4and means whereby the said machine may be automatically raised to a position in front of the safe and also means for discharging said revolvers and operating the alarm-bell, as hereinafter more fully. set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the machine in elevation, the various parts in the position occupied when the machine is not in use, and means by which it is placed in readiness for operation, the sztion portion of the ily-wheel is broken away to illustrate the bearings of the rod which engages the same when the machine is set ready for use, the weights by which the machine is elevated being removed from their position. Fig. 2 is a section plan taken on the line l 1 in Fig. 1, showing the weights in the position occupied when in operation, a portion of the shaft upon which the ily-wheel and spring are mounted being broken away to show the shaft by which the outer end of said spring is held in the desired position. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the machine in the position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the front part ofthe machine-frame being broken away and the door being shown in section, the weights being removed from their positions the same as in Fig. 1'. Figs. 4 is a detail sectional elevation showing the frame upon which the revolvers are mounted in the position occupied when in operation, the lower portion of the machine being broken away,

-the section being taken on a line 3 3 in Fig.

3, with the exception that Fig. 3 shows the frame on which the revolvers are mounted below the floor, while Fig. dshows this frame above the floor with some of the lower portions ofthe machine being removed, as stated. K Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate the beams of the tilting floor and the numeral 11 to indicate the hinged floor. A lever l2 for throwing the mechanism in or out of operation is inserted in an opening in the stationary floor, which is supported by the beams 13, then through a loop 14, and

then through an opening 15 in a rod 16, said are notched at their forward ends to lit over` at its lower end to a lever 29, which is pivl oted at the point 30 and whose upper'end is shaped to iit over the top of the machine 31,

' ed on the shaft 53.

thus holding the machine in place when not in operation. The frame 32 supports the machine 3l. Said machine is capable of being raised by means of the weights 33, saidv weights being attached to cables 34, which are passed over pulleys 35 on the frame 32 and attached to links 36 0n the machine 3l. An alarm-bell 37 is mounted in the machine 3l and is operated by means of a lever 38. Revolvers 39 are mounted on a frame 40, their butts being inserted in loops 41 and their muzzles passed through openings 42 in a plate 43 on said frame. The said frame 40 is mounted on a shaft 44, which is rotatably mounted in bearings in the machine 3l. Said shaft is passed through the trigger-guards of said revolvers. Cams or eccentrics 45 are placed on said shaft 44 and extend in different directions, engaging the triggers of the revolvers 39 in such a manner as to alternately discharge said revolvers and also cause the frame to swing laterally upon the rotation of the shaft 44. A wheel46, having a projection 47, is mounted on the shaft 44. Said projection engages the lever 38, and thus operates the alarm-bell 37 upon the rotation of the shaft 44. A sprocket wheel 48 is mounted on said shaft. Power for rotating the shaft 44 is provided by means of a spring 49, attached to a rod 59 in the machine 50, and is transmitted to the shaft 44 by means of a chain 51, passed over the sprocket-wheel 48 on the shaft 44 and over a sprocket-wheel 52 on the shaft 53, which is rotatably mounted in bearings iu the machine 50. Said spring 49 is attached to the shaft 53, whereby said shaft maybe rotated. A y-wheel 54, having an opening 55 in its periphery, is mount- By means of said wheel 54 the spring 49 may be wound up and when so wound is locked by means of a rod 56, entering the opening 55. Said rod is connected to a lever 57, which is connected with a lever 58, which in turn is connected with the frame 40 in the machine 3l. The levers 60 serve to hold the machine 3l in position when raised.

It is obvious that when the lever 12 is inserted in place and drawn back the sliding device 17 is drawn forward from under the tilting door, thereby allowing said floor to tilt when a person steps upon it. The tilting of the floor operates the levers 28 and 29, thereby releasing the machine 31, which is automatically raised, and at the same time forces the hinged floor 11 upward and backward against the safe.

When the machine 3l has reached its highest point, the lever 58 is engaged, and this acting in connection with the lever 57 withdraws the rod 59 from the opening 55, and thereby releases the spring 49, thus rotating the shaft 53, which by means of the chain 5l and the sprocket-wheels 48 and 52 causes the shaft 44 to rotate, whereby the revolvers are discharged and the alarm-bell operated.

In practical use, assuming that persons are attempting to gain access to the safe, upon their entering the room and stepping upon the tilting floor the said floor tilts and operates the levers 28 and 29, thus releasing the machine 3l, which is immediately raised to a position in front of the safe, and at the same time raising the hinged floor 11 and tilting it back against the safe, thus forming a barrier. When the machine 3l reaches its highest point, the lever 58 acting upon the frame 40 causes the revolvers to assume a horizontal position and at the same time acting in connection with the lever 57 withdraws the rod 56 from the opening 55 in the wheel 54, thus releasing the spring 49. The said spring acting upon the shaft 53 causes it to rotate, and the motion is imparted to the shaft 44 by means of the chain 5l and the sprocketwheels 48 and 52, thereby discharging the revolvers and operating the alarm-bell. The frame 40 being capable of a swinging lateral movement enables the revolvers mounted thereon to command the entire iioor in front of the'safe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-C 1. In aburglar-alarm for banks,postofices, and the like, the combination of a stationary iioor having an opening therein, stationary beams thereunder, a pivoted floor capable of downward movement, asliding device mounted on said stationary beams capable of being moved to a position for holding said pivoted floor at its proper limit of movement, a rod having an opening in its end connected to said sliding device extended under said opening in said stationary floor, whereby a lever may be used for sliding said device, a frame capable of vertical movement, means connected to said pivoted floor for automatically raising said frame, when the iloor is moved downwardly, for the purposes stated.

2. In a burglar-alarm for banks, post-offices, and the like, the combination of a frame capable of vertical movement, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a revolver-holder on said shaft, revolvers attached to said holder, cams or eccentrics on said shaft, capable of engaging the` triggers in said revolvers, a sprocket-wheel on said shaft, a stationary frame, a spring-actuated rotatable shaft in said stationary frame, a spring in said stationary frame, for actuating rotatable shaft, a sprocket-wheel connected with said rotatable shaft, a sprocket-chain passed over said sprocket-wheels, an idler for taking up the slack in said sprocket-chain when the vertically-moving frame is lowered, means for automatically raising the vertically-moving frame, means for automatically releasing the spring when the vertically-moving frame is at its highest point of elevation, for the purposes stated.

3. In a burglar-alarm for banks, post-offices, l

or the like, the combination of a frame capable of vertical movement, a shaft rotata- ICO bly mounted on said frame, a revolver-holder on said shaft, revolvers attached to said holder, cams or eeeentries on the said shaft, capable of engaging the triggers of said revolvers, means for operating said shaft, an alarm-bell mounted in said frame, a wheel on said shaft, said wheel having a projection, a lever for striking said alarm-bell, to be engaged by said projection, means for automatieally raising said frame, and means for operating said shaft when said frame is at its highest point of elevation, for the purposes stated.

4. In a burglaralarm forbanks, post-offices, or the like, the combination of a shaft, two cams or eceentries fixed to said shaft, a revolver-holder mounted upon said shaft and capable of rocking or swinging laterally, re- Volvers mounted on said cams,.or eeeentrics, whereby, when the shaft is rotated, the cams or ecoentrios bearing against the triggers will discharge the revolvers and rock or swing the revolver-holder laterally.

5. In aburglar-alarm for banks, post-offices, or the like, the combination of a verticallymovable frame, means for autom atieally raising said frame, a rotatable shaft in said frame, a revolver-holder pivotally mounted 0n said shaft, a lever f ulerurned to said frame, a rod connected with said lever, and said revolver-holder, a stationary frame, a lever fulerumed to the stationary frame, means for connecting said levers, a spring-actuated, rotatable shaft in the stationary frame, a wheel fixed to the shaft in said stationary frame and having an opening therein, an arm connected with the lever on the stationary frame and capable of entering the opening in said wheel, whereby, when the vertically-moving frame is raised the revolver-holder will be moved to a substantially horizontal position and the said arm be disengaged from said wheel, and means for gearing said shafts together, substantially as, and for the purposes Y stated.

CHARLES CHASE.

Witnesses:

A. J. EGGEN, J. N. VoLLnRsEN. 

